Szmanda Takes The Stage In ‘The Nerd’

Starting tonight, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation actor Eric Szmanda (Greg Sanders) kicks off a two week run of The Nerd at the Totem Pole Playhouse in Fayetteville, Pennsylvania. He plays the leading character in the two-act comedy, an architect named Willum Cubbert. Szmanda has been a fan of The Nerd since the community theatre in his hometown of Mukwonago, Wisconsin put on the show when he was younger. “It is so synchronistic and perfect at this point in my life that I get to spend part of my summer in a place that reminds me so much of Wisconsin, doing a play that is so personal to me,” Szmanda told Herald Mail Media.

You can find more quotes from Szmanda after the jump, including comments about the cancellation of CSI, along with video links!

As one of the original stars of CSI, Szmanda is a familiar face to fans all over the world. While rehearsing for the play in central Pennsylvania, he got plenty of curious looks. “I get approached by people who aren’t really sure why they recognize me,” he explained to Cumberlink. “Then I tell them who I am and they go, ‘Oh, yeah.’ I can tell that our show has a loyal fan base here as it does in most of middle America.”

CSI has been cancelled, but Szmanda appreciates the time he spent working on the crime drama. “I’ve been very, very lucky to be part of this thing,” he said. “I’ll be forever grateful to CSI for giving me a nice, steady job. I’ve worked with some of the best people in the business, and my fellow cast members have become some of my closest friends. There is nothing bad about it. Now I’m excited to move on to the next thing.”

Szmanda will star in The Nerd from May 29 through June 14. You can find more information, or buy tickets, on the Totem Pole Playhouse website. The theatre shared two video interviews with Szmanda and his costar Shane Partlow, which you can watch here and here. Finally, Szmanda posted this photo on Twitter last month: